Bhubaneswar: A tragic stampede during the Rath Yatra celebrations in Puri, Odisha, claimed three lives and left dozens injured early Sunday morning, as over 20,000 devotees packed into an area designed to accommodate a fraction of that number. The incident occurred outside Gundicha Temple around 4 AM, during the pre-dawn rituals before the chariots of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra, and Subhadra were moved.
The deceased have been identified as Premakanta Mohanty (78), a retired government employee from Bhubaneswar; Basanti Sahu (42), a homemaker from Khurda; and Prabhati Das (52), from Balianta near Bhubaneswar. All three had arrived with family members for a glimpse of the deities (“darshan”) before their entry into the Gundicha Temple.
Eyewitnesses described a scene of chaos and panic, blaming poor crowd management and inadequate police deployment. The stampede reportedly began when two trucks carrying wooden ladders entered the congested area near the chariots. “The narrow space, lack of sufficient police, and scattered palm log ladders caused the crowd to panic,” said Chinmay Patra, a witness.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi called the lapses “unforgivable” and announced ₹25 lakh in compensation for each victim’s family. He also ordered a high-level inquiry led by Development Commissioner Anu Garg.
In a swift response, the state government transferred Puri District Collector S.S. Swain and SP Vinit Agrawal. Two senior officers — DCP V.P. Pati and Commandant Ajay Kumar Padhi — were suspended for negligence.
The tragedy triggered a political backlash, with opposition parties blaming the BJP-led state government for gross mismanagement. The BJD and Congress accused the administration of favouring BJP workers with special access near the chariots, further complicating crowd movement.
Former Chief Minister and BJD leader Naveen Patnaik described the incident as an “abysmal failure of crowd management,” while Congress MP Rahul Gandhi said, “There can be no excuse for lapses in such a critical responsibility.”
Security arrangements for the Yatra included 275 AI-powered cameras, drones, and a large deployment of forces: 2 IPS officers, 6 SP-rank officers, 7 ASPs, 24 DSPs, 42 inspectors, 189 SIs/ASIs, 110 home guards, and 52 police platoons. Despite this, experts said enforcement on the ground fell short. “After Friday and Saturday passed without incident, I suspect officials lowered their guard,” said Sahadeb Mohanty, a retired DSP.
Despite the tragedy, thousands continued to gather throughout the day for darshan. “Our faith is stronger than fear,” said Saudamini Sarangi, 65, from Cuttack. “There was chaos for about an hour, but everything became orderly afterward,” added Sovan Pattnaik of Bhubaneswar.
Police later reinforced security, restructured queue systems, and appealed to the public not to spread rumors. “Some were taking photos amid the rush, adding to the confusion,” DGP Y.B. Khurania said.
The festival, which began on June 28, will continue through July 8.
Prabhati Das’s mother, Binodini Panda, tearfully recounted, “People were being trampled. Some lifted me up, but my daughter remained trapped. We found her too late.” Basanti Sahu’s husband, Dilip Kumar Sahu, described how the crowd surged at dawn. “We were all falling. She got trapped, and it took nearly an hour for help to arrive. She died at the hospital.”
As the investigation proceeds, questions remain about how a crowd smaller than Friday and Saturday’s turnout led to such a deadly disaster — and whether more could have been done to prevent it.
